Canada was actively involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and was among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022. Canada regularly delivered statements throughout the consultations towards a Political Declaration, as well as raising concerns around explosive weapons in populated areas and expressing support for a Political Declaration in other multilateral forums. Early in the consultation process, Canada emphasised that there should be a focus on promoting International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as a sufficient existing framework to effectively regulate the use of explosive weapons in populated areas,1 and suggested a focus on the harms caused by the indiscriminate use of such weapons.2 Canada also emphasised engagement with local communities and called for a “population-centric approach” that takes into account diverse needs, including those from women, girls, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ persons.3
These were repeated themes throughout Canada’s statements to the negotiations where, in order to avoid any stigmatisation of explosive weapons in general, also supported the addition of qualifiers throughout the text to indicate that harm “can” potentially arise from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.4 Canada also proposed weakening the core commitment (paragraph 3.3) of the declaration by emphasising that it should not go beyond the obligations of IHL,5 a belief it repeated throughout the negotiations. As the consultations progressed, Canada welcomed the recognition of the differentiated gendered impacts of armed conflict and suggested the inclusion of the word “feasible” referring to efforts in providing assistance to people affected by conflict6 but expressed opposition to the term “reverberating effects”. At the final round of consultations in June 2022, Canada welcomed the final version of the draft Declaration, including the commitments to implementing national policy and practice aimed at protecting civilians, adopting policies for armed forces that reflect IHL, and recognising the importance of taking all practicable measures to record and track civilian casualties with a view to informing future practice.7 This was reflected in their statement at the signing ceremony in Dublin in 2022, where Canada also underlined the need to foster a holistic and gender-sensitive approach to victim assistance and ensure accountability for violations.8
Statements and priorities
Canada has frequently spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to draw attention to the devastating humanitarian impacts of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas on civilians, particularly on children, humanitarian workers, and medical personnel. This includes at the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in 20149 and at the General Debate of the 72nd UN General Assembly First Committee in 2017. Alongside its individual statements, Canada has several times aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. At the January 2022 UN Security Council open debate on war in cities, the Group of Friends of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, of which Canada is a member, called on states to enhance the protection of civilians, including from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and took note of the ongoing consultations to develop a Political Declaration on this subject.10 The Group made similar remarks at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians on 25 May 2022.11 At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in May 2023, the Group noted the adoption of the Political Declaration.12